125Viking

I've had it since august, Im hoping your wrong about the abuse, but its looking more that way.. I've also heard on a 125 v twin 30k miles can finish an engine. which wasnt what I wanted to hear, but I've also heard the opposite said. If Im lucky I'll find a cheap fix, if not... I have a friend who may part ex his barely used one with mine may be my best bet

Well, the bike is losing power at higher revs. struggles heavily to get passed 40/45, burning oil badly as well. My guess was the rings were shot. So stripped it down with a mechanic (girlfriends dad) Who double checked the rings individually in the barrel, the piston in the barrel and has taken away the head to check the valves are working as they should. What we found was that the ring gaps were a little too big, and the barrel itself had a bit of give in the middle with the piston. The piston itself also had movement on the rod. In other words, it being a 10 year old bike with 36k miles on it, these are likely the original parts that are just worn down. He said the best thing I could do is see how much it costs to replace all the parts, and go from there. If I replaced these then it'd be like a brand new bike effectively. Ofcourse if it really will cost £500 just for one.. and its a v-twin.... I'm sure there must be cheaper parts somewhere.

Also, does anyone know if the 125 XVS shares these parts with another bike? perhaps I can search for them as well

Thanks I checked it out, and they have every part I need... for a staggering £500 for one cylinder! The barrel alone costs £350. The rings £80... is this really the cheapest these parts are? I'm struggling to get anything on dragstar barrels at all but there are some brand new ones on ebay for other yamaha 125's for £50

Hi guys, I'm looking to replace my pistons, piston rings and likely the cylinders as well, I was wondering if anyone had any idea what the exact specs I'm looking for are? Cant seem to find any info for a Dragstar 125 anywhere, obviously dont want to order the wrong parts. If someone has a link to somewhere that sells these things or just the spec I need to search for to get a result come up it would be much appreciated. Any heads up on cost would also be appreciated Cheers

Fixed! took a while of exploring and stripping the bike, pure hope that the petrol wouldnt come out the tank (who would have thought the "on" position is also "off"...) some rather fiddley business around the valve caps because of the tree of metal holding on all the plastic parts but we got there! Smell of petrol is light, throttle is responds bang on and no ticking! spark plugs will need replacing but it works as it should now, starts from cold with any throttle really or choke Only concern is it idles quite high and my idle screw knob is missing wire seems a little seized as well. but high idle should be a concern right? Thanks again for all your advice and help guys! couldnt have got through to the problem without other heads to bounce off.

Had a mate round to have a look, another coming round saturday who had a thought: Valves! The slight noise I mentioned goes with the engine tick over while idling. There is a lack of compression (cant pull off, sluggish throttle, no throttle power with lights on) Strong smell of petrol and choke floods the engine and it can be started from cold without the choke on meaning its running rich. From what we can gather this all seems symptoms of the valves being out of whack. Check plugs again today, may need replacing, were black/brown and one was wet. Hopefully this check on the valves on saturday will provide some results! will keep you guys posted

Ok, a little stumped again >< been following this http://www.electrexworld.co.uk/pdfs/Troubleshooting-3P-PMG-&-RR.pdf The current on the battery seems fine. stands at 12.7 - 13.4V with engine off around 13.6V to 14.4V engine on and idle. no real difference in revving it now. Took the terminal off the Reg/rec and tested the pins in the reg/rec itself follow step 4 of this guide. got readings of around 550's on all of them. According to the guide that means it isnt a reg/rec problem (I would be relieved, given the cost and also the state of the bolts holding it in place...) This guide has further steps to find the problem which Im really not sure I have the ability to do. I wouldnt know where the generator is for one thing. The symptoms today seemed to be intermitent, It idled fine again, throttle was sluggish but picked up after running a while. I noticed that while revving it the neutral light would occasionally get brighter and this usually led to a stutter when revving from idle. An almost stall, and occasionally actually stalling. Turning the full beams on led to no power in the throttle at all. barely moved the revs. Tried to pull away with lights off and it wouldn't have it, just not power in the throttle once in first. Is this guide feeding me crap and this is still defo reg/rec? or is this a bad connection somewhere else. either way I think Im going to need someone to have a look at this.

They do seem to have a good test which I will try on the reg/rec, if I can manage to get to the reg/rec and disconnect like it says. The reg/rec they supply is however more expensive and looks to come with fixed wires, I believe mine has a terminal which can be taken off. Wemoto either don't stock the reg/rec for my bike or its on of the ones listed as a parts number which I've no idea how to wade through to find the correct one. Looks like ebay is actually my best bet. though I think I'll stick with a new part rather than the used one. Also just wanted to thank you guys for your help and advice with this. Its really been my main port of call for help on this problem so cheers for getting me to an actual conclusion rather than helpless and with a dead bike lol Any further help is welcome too

Doesnt have my Bike as one of those it is for. Does that matter? It seems to be my luck these last two weeks that every part for my bike costs double that of ones for the 650's and 1100's This is the 5 I get on eBay, the one you show is there, but its for a 125 YFM rather than Dragstar. there is a chart further down on its page and 125 Dragstar isnt shown. it is also a different shape http://www.ebay.co.u...6.c0.m270.l1313 The only one of a similar price is a used one.

So got me a multimeter. turns out just £6 from Maplin Anyway, readings were fine initially. 12.7V standing, similar while idling, only dipped to 11ish with ignition. Reving gave 13-14V Then it stopped being normal, the idling revs increase, started reading 17's with revs and turning the lights on made it lose power returned to sluggish throttle Im guessing this can be nothing other than reg/rec? which means £60 I dont have plus 4-7 days waiting on it. Anyone find me a better deal i'd be most happy. Gonna look myself as well.

Found it, in a nice inaccessible place... just been to start it up again/find the reg/rec. Started perfectly fine this time. throttle still sluggish to begin with, tested lights under revs and they actually got brighter visibly under revs. I dont have a volt meter and would rather not have to fork out for a reg/rec given they cost quite a bit, hence testing that and reporting back here. Defo some connection problem though as the throttle this time was stuttering and bogging down when revs applied this time, as if a loss of power. Checked tightness of battery connections. tight as I can get them. could be they are dirty? or you guys pretty much 100% its the reg/rec despite the brightness test (only thing Ive got to go on Im afraid) Was a slight noise coming from the area under the oil filler cap (not the filter under the yamaha sign, but the bigger circular part on the left of that) Have checked the oil a few days back and it was defo in the middle of the two points. will check again later. Cant remember which noises are normal from the engine anymore

What am I looking for? If Im honest I have no clue where to look for connection issues, dunno where the earthing is. and I know what the reg/rec looks like but dunno where it is on the bike. How can I tell if the connections on something is bad?

Update: Got the thing started using prime on the fuel cock. Sounded weak though. took a good few tries before it would idle. throttle is reallly sluggish and it misfired a couple of times under revs while idling. checked lights under revs and they dont dim so dont think its reg/rec. Any ideas?

Sparks are also dry. look pretty clean too. Not entirely sure what I'll looking for though.

Hey, So i've had to replace the battery in the Dragstar as the other one was swollen, smelling of sulphur and flat. (figured none of these - or exploding for that matter- are good.) I've been left batteryless for 5-6 days and today as I fitted the new battery I accidently touch the allan key onto the negative terminal while tightening the + Stupid I know... From what I've gather sparks doesnt mean its dead, allan key was hot though! Anyway, fitted it and went to start, turned over but no catch. Even tried bumping it and it wouldnt fire up. It had some drive but VERY little, like it wanted to fire but wouldnt. Basically I could hold it going very slowly in first but the engine would stop as soon as I stopped. Like it was never really...on. Wondered if I'd yanked some charge outa the "no initial charge needed" battery so hooked charger up which said it needs charging. Is it a simple case of charge battery and go? Do I need to switch fuel reserve to prime? (seen that option floating around here) Looking not to have to spend money or strip things as I know so little to do with bike mechanics right now >< Was always a first time starter before the battery went. cheers, Luke.

Just bought my 125 Dragstar, passed my CBT a week ago and just had a ride. Still a little wobbly in first for low speed turning and control but Ill get used to that brushing the clutch thing. Absolutely amazing fun though ^^ so glad I did it! First part was in the wet as well lol very happy man right now

My bike fund is a very worthy charity. Just for future reference Nah Im getting there slowly. It'll feel worth every penny when Im there though.

I have a feeling I wont be able to resist the bigger bike. even though this is a number of years down the line ^^ On a tooootally unrelated note... Anyone happen to have a grand just lying around they were thinking of giving to charity or something? no?

Yeh I wasnt sure cus to me they looked the same just wondered if it was a trick of the eye or not I never knew a 400 Dragstar existed, shows how much i know! or how rare they are in the UK.. 650 is probably where I would go next after a 125 should I feel like entering the big bikes otherwise I reckon I'd go to 250, if it is the same bike but with more kick seems easy to transfer. Thanks for the info!

Just a quick thing I wondered. Realise is probably a simple answer but hey Asside from performance, is there differences between the 125 and 250 Dragstars? As in size of the bikes. aesthetic parts etc. Thats all cheers

Aye unfortunately the only downside here is the fact I need a big chunk of money before I can think about taking CBT and buying the bike. Wanna do it at a similar time to get the most out of my 2 years - if it is needed. But! I'm about half way there so Im thinking probably before Xmas if I work hard or if not March time too Plus side is once I get that out the way, I can practice everyday round my area. its really quiet and flat save a a few speed bumps and a long dual carriage way along the front, 2 mins away, which is handy ^^ Glad I'm not the only one whose jumping out a car for it though. Shows it's doable

Thanks for the advice guys I think I understand what you mean ^^ Take both CBT and DA on the test bikes and save the cruisers for my own use. (Have heard the dragstar was tough for doing U turns in the test) Use the 125 Dragstar to build up my confidence enough for DA and then think big ^^ Sorta My original plan, but having looked around I've seen other people had done differently. Think I'll play it safe/sensible and go with what you guys have said Thanks for the help! Cheers, Luke.

So, as I've mentioned in my intro I'm looking to grab me a 125 Dragstar soon as I have enough money for it, insurance and a helmet and the CBT. Just wandered if there is any advice people might give on this? I'll give a little explanation. I've a good idea of the basics of how to ride a bike but I guess experience is always the way forward. I'm looking for anyone/everyone's two cents on how to go about getting my CBT, is my choice of bike appropriate, how easy it is to go through the tests etc (in terms of best time frame to do it in) Been driving a car 4 years, no problems, quite comfortable. Kart racing since I was 9 and had a 50cc rev and go Italjet dirt bike when I was 7-9. Just to give background on what I've done sort off race/road wise I realise this may not help me at all with riding a bike or it may give me some idea as to how to act on the road. The racing certainly drilled into me to never drive beyond my limit ^^ I'm approx 6ft and 12.5st (80kg?) No real idea on weight. this is my guess from the last time I checked. This sound about right for a 125 Dragstar? Should I be looking to hit the CBT then grab one of those and drive a few years or should I try direct access? From what I gathered the dragstar should still hit 60-70 at a push. But I've seen a number of people have gone straight for DA and found it a workable option. What I could really use is an analysis of how much harder the DA is than CBT and whether the bike is a good option for me, or is the money better spent on a bigger bike? Dont really wanna buy the bike pass the direct access soon after and be stuck with a slow machine until I save up another lump. Any thoughts? Cheers, Luke

Just thought I'd introduce myself since I've been looking around here I've perhaps been a bit naughty and come on here without owning a bike as of yet but I've my heart set on a Dragstar 125 soon as I get the cash to run a CBT and buy the bike straight after (insure it etc) Figure its better that way, then I can get as much practice in before the test I'm a young 22 in Swansea tired of my car insurance stinging me for a car I barely use with no real engine, decided to go back to bikes (used to off road a little 50cc rev and go Italjet when I was 7-9 ^^ till the police came and shut us down.) Always loved cruiser style bikes, and had a recent realization that I can actually get one now, and with wales being perfect biking country.. So anyway thats me looking to grab me a XVS 125 soon as possible and have me a hobby that I'll love. Any tips on day to day maintenance or anything like that would be much appreciated, wanna find out all I can and learn from owners and enthusiasts alike. One thing I could use a tip on is gear. Looking to go for the style that is typical for cruiser riders but wanna not be stuck in jeans and a cut-off being a learner. Dont get me wrong but those one piece suits just arent for me either Anyway, hope to be joining you lucky people soon cheers, Luke / 125Viking